London, United Kingdom

In early August 2023, Melanie had a work trip in London so we decided to make a 1 week trip out of it! Despite some rainy days, we had a great time and definitely want to travel back to London again soon! Here is our Google Map of recommendations.

Activities

Afternoon Tea: Given we were in London, we of course wanted to do afternoon tea! We made a reservation at sketch in Mayfair. There are many rooms at sketch depending on the dining experience which include the Parlour, the Lecture Room & Library, the Glade, and the Gallery. The Gallery is always where afternoon tea is served. The restaurant has become very popular due to the bathroom with egg-shaped pods and the decor in the dining rooms being very “instagrammable,” so we were prepared for our experience to be very touristy and filled with young people filming TikTok videos. However, the environment was luxurious, classy, and filled with both tourists and locals. We befriended our waiter, Joshua, who explained a lot about the restaurant and how the designs and art installations in each room change every few months. During our visit, The Gallery included masks that replicate objects found in Pablo Picasso’s collection and framed quilts that celebrate African art, all created by British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare. All in all, this was a one-of-a-kind afternoon tea experience and more details on the restaurant and its art can be found here and here.

Borough Market: Borough Market is one of the oldest and largest food markets in London. One rainy morning, we had fun walking throughout the market and tasting whatever looked good! That being said, it was crowded and some lines were definitely too long to wait on.

Free Walking Tour: As always, we did a free walking tour! We started the tour from Covent Garden, which is now a world-class shopping and dining destination. In the early 1500s it was the garden of the Convent (hence the name Covent) before it was converted to a center for entertainment and an open-air market.

We then made our way to Trafalgar Square, named after Britain’s victory in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. When Melanie and her parents were last in London in 2000, they remember Trafalgar Square being covered in pigeons. The tour guide explained that the number of pigeons in Trafalgar Square continued to rise until 2003 when the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, banned feeding them. And so now, according to the law, feeding pigeons anywhere in the perimeter of Trafalgar Square is forbidden.

Next we saw Admiralty Arch, a landmark building that provides pedestrian access between Trafalgar Square and The Mall. We learned that the flat at the top of the Admiralty Arch consists of 12 bedrooms and is currently listed for over £150 million!

We walked along The Mall from Admiralty Arch towards Buckingham Palace and stopped at the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Memorial. We learned that Queen Elizabeth outlived her husband by 50 years!

While waiting to see the “Changing of the Guards,” our tour guide told us about Henry VIII and his 6 wives: 2 beheaded at the Tower of London, 2 divorced, 1 died, and 1 survived (featured in the Broadway play SIX). In fact, when the Pope did not allow Henry VIII to divorce is first wife, he broke from the Catholic Church to begin the Church of England and the Protestant religion. When the”Changing of the Guards” began, Melanie and her parents remembered seeing it at Buckingham Palace in 2000. We all very much enjoyed watching it this time around in front of Saint James’s Palace, which is the oldest Palace in London!

The tour concluded with views of Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben (which is really called the Elizabeth Tower)!

Football Match at Wembley: While in London, we wanted to see a football match and so we got tickets to Arsenal vs. Manchester City on August 6. Getting to Wembley via the tube was easy and seamless. Once we walked through the chanting crowds and into the stadium, we went to get drinks and snacks to bring up to our seats. As we showed our tickets to get to our seats, the usher sternly told us that absolutely no alcohol was allowed at the seats. This caught us off guard, but also honestly made the spectating experience less unnecessarily rowdy and more enjoyable! For most of the match, the scored remained 0-0 until the end of the 2nd half when Manchester City scored a goal. With a few minutes left in rollover stoppage time, most fans began to exit the stadium. We decided to stay until the very end and boy are we happy we did that! Right before the end of the game, Arsenal scored a goal to tie up the match 1-1! Since the two teams were competing for the Community Shield, they went straight into penalty kicks. In the end, Arsenal beat Manchester City 4-1 in the penalty kick shootout to win the Community Shield and strike the first blow in the season’s rivalry between the two clubs. Typically, Community Shield matches often have a ‘friendly’ feel, but with cynical fouls and crunching tackles, there was no shortage of intensity at this match!

Churchill War Rooms: The Churchill War Rooms is a museum in the Imperial War Museum. The museum includes the Cabinet War Rooms, a historic underground complex that housed a British government command center during World War II, and the Churchill Museum, a biographical museum exploring the life of British statesman Winston Churchill. The war rooms were very tight quarters and the people who worked there were sworn to secrecy.

Tower of London: The Tower of London, officially His Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the River Thames that has played a prominent role in English history. First it was primarily a royal castle, then a prison where famous people were imprisoned and executed, then a royal zoo, and now it is home of the Crown Jewels.

Tate Modern: Tate Modern is a modern art gallery in London. We very much enjoyed meandering through the museum.

Explore Shoreditch: We loved walking around Shoreditch and checking out the funky street art, especially on Redchurch Street!

Darts at Flight Club Shoreditch: Melanie had a work outing here and had a ton of fun! She and her coworkers played darts while enjoying great food and drinks.

Food

Lyle’s: This restaurant recently received a Michelin star and was recommended by a few friends. Chef James Lowe focuses on flavors from fish and chips, roast dinners, and pies, but makes his dishes not bloat-inducing and “stodgy.” Dinner was a four-course tasting menu (that changes daily), plus the sourdough and butter are made in-house and were delicious!

Chiltern Firehouse: This is a trendy hotel with a restaurant that is quickly becoming the place to see and be seen. The vibe was cozy, the food was good, and the cocktails were creative. We had a 9PM dinner reservation here on a rainy night, and it felt like we were at a late-night dinner on a fall evening in NYC.

The Barbary: This restaurant is A MUST! It is a petite eatery for small plates with Berber-style flavors served at a bar by a central kitchen. The food was unique and delicious (especially the arayes), and the restaurant staff were so friendly and enjoyable to chat with.

Ottolenghi: This restaurant has a few locations throughout London. The food is rooted in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean tradition. We enjoyed going here for some healthy, fast-casual takeout.

Pubs

Our friends, Jessie and Aaron, were in London for some of the days we were there. Aaron did some research on famous pubs throughout London and, on a rainy Saturday, he took us on a pub crawl!

The George Inn: The pub was formerly known as “George and Dragon,” named after the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. It was built in 1676 and is London’s only surviving galleried inn!

The French House: This pub was previously known as the “York Minster,” but was informally called “The French Pub” or “The French House” by its regulars. After the fall of France during the World War II, General Charles de Gaulle escaped to London where he formed the Free French Forces. His speech rallying the French people, “À tous les Français,” is said to have been written in the pub. Today The French House is popular amongst writers and is known for only serving half pints.

The Coach & Horse: This is a famous traditional pub in Soho known for its rich history, relaxed atmosphere, and great beer. In the 1770s, it was built to capitalize on the increasing numbers of people traveling via horse and carriage, providing rest to the tired horses and their weary passengers. In the 1900s, the pub became notable for its association with the columnist Jeffrey Bernard, the staff of Private Eye magazine, and other journalists. Through their writings, its former landlord, Norman Balon, became known as “London’s rudest landlord.” And so now, it is known to be famous for its literary locals and ill-mannered owner.

The Lamb & Flag: The first mention of a pub on this site was in 1772. “Lamb” in the name is from the Gospel of St. John: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world” and “Flag” being that of St. George. Fun fact: This pub used to be referred to as The Bucket of Blood because it had bare knuckle boxing!

The Guinea Grill: The Guinea Grill has stood in Mayfair since at least 1423 and has seen a lot in its 600 years, from bubonic plague to the Great Fire of London. It has survived to become one of London’s most-treasured food pubs and is something everyone should experience at least once in a lifetime. Supposedly their steak is amazing, but since we stopped here before dinner, we decided to order and share a smaller dish, the welsh rarebit (which truthfully just tasted like delicious grilled cheese, but we’ll take it)!